Great Gear: Combination Laptop Case/Pocketbooks

< p>[#image: /photos/53db1aeb6dec627b14a19336]||||||< br>< em>It may not be a fashion statement, but I still love my LowePro Factor Tote. < p>Attention, women who are trying to figure out how to get three carry-on items onboard the plane (wheelie, laptop case, and pocketbook) when we're allowed only two: Some nifty combination laptop case/pocketbooks have crossed my desk lately. < p>[#image: /photos/53db1aeb6dec627b14a19348]||||||As a mom who must travel with tech gear on one arm and tots on the other, I'll never give up my < strong>< ahref="http://products.lowepro.com/product/Factor-Tote,2059.htm#">LowePro Factor Tote (pictured at top), a lightweight bag -- with perfect-length, nonslip straps -- into which I can fit my MacBook, digital camera, Palm Treo, other tech paraphernalia, newspaper, T.S.A.-friendly zip-top bag holding my liquids and gels in three-ounce containers, and everything else from my purse.< p> But my tote now has some pretty stiff competition: bags that aresimilar in design -- they each have an interior zippered laptopcompartment in the center, with more interior compartments on eitherside -- but are far more stylish.[#image: /photos/53db1aebdcd5888e145e3e41]||||||< p> Since two of these "business totes" have been eliciting oohs and aahsfrom my female coworkers who've spotted me comparing bags in my officeand have stopped in to add their two cents (note the < strong>< ahref="http://www.solocases.com/item.aspx?id=1752">SOLO Signature Portfolio, for instance, pictured immediately above and at right), I figure I ought to sharemy findings with all you female business travelers out there (or yourhusbands who are seeking the right gift for your birthday):< p>[#image: /photos/53db1aeb6dec627b14a19346]||||||< strong>< ahref="http://www.tumi.com/search/derby_business_tote/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=96108">Tumi's Voyageur Lightweight Derby Business Tote (pictured at left and below) has two great features that the LowePro doesn't:< br>(1) It has an interior zippered pocket in addition to the zippered laptop compartment. (2) You can attach the bag to your carry-on wheelie by sliding it over the wheelie's extended handles. The laptop compartment is not nearly as well padded as the LowePro's, however, and the two large interior pockets on either side of the laptop compartment do not zip closed.This means that if your bag overturns -- say, on the conveyor belt as you're going through security, or in the underseat space beneath the airplane seat in front of you -- the contents could spill out.[#image: /photos/53db1aebdcd5888e145e3e43]||||||Also, the interior fabric is black, which looks handsome but makes it hard to quickly locate any dark-colored objects inside (such as your wallet or glasses case or whatever). And it's $395, whereas the LowePro is only $70. But it sure looks good and smells nice.< p> < strong>< ahref="http://www.solocases.com/item.aspx?id=1752">The SOLO Signature Portfolio (the two bottom pictures) is slightly heavier and bulkier than the Tumi and the LowePro, but it's also roomier -- it's more briefcase-sized than pocketbook-sized -- and holds a larger computer than the LowePro (15.4 inches, as opposed to 14 inches).[#image: /photos/53db1aed6dec627b14a19366]||||||The tubular straps are supposedly slip-resistant, but I find that myLowePro's flat straps are less likely to slide off, as are the Tumi's.Also, maybe it's just my arm length (which is long), but I find it far easier to swing the LowePro or Tumi bag onto my shoulder using only one hand than to get the SOLO bag onto my shoulder one-handedly.But the SOLO has a zippered inside pocket, and its interior fabric is a chic soft rose pink that enables you to locate your wallet, glasses case, etc., very quickly. The interior is much prettier than my LowePro's orange interior.[#image: /photos/53db1aed6dec627b14a19376]||||||The SOLO doesn't zip closed, but it has a magnetic over-the-top flap to keep contents from spilling out. The price? $110, which seems like a good value.< p> Still, neither the SOLO nor the Tumi can be thrown in the washing machine like my LowePro! Which means that, even though I'm seriously considering buying one of them for those business trips where I need to show up at meetings looking fashionable, you can bet that when I hit the road with my young sons I'll be sticking with the LowePro.